Fuze CEO Steve Kokinos Named 2016 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® New England

Fuze (formerly ThinkingPhones), the leader in global voice, video, and collaboration, today announced that CEO Steve Kokinos has been awarded the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2016 Award in New England. The award is in recognition of his commitment to excellence and extraordinary success in such areas such as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to the company and communities. Kokinos was selected as the winner by a panel of independent judges at a special gala event on June 23, 2016 at the Boston Marriott Copley Place.

As the leading Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) provider, Fuze is redefining the way businesses around the world interact by creating communication applications that keep workers connected using mobile devices, desk phones, SMS, and video conferences. Steve Kokinos co-founded the company in 2006 under the name ThinkingPhones as a means of offering new alternatives to hardware-dense communication solutions.

Since 2006, the company has completed three acquisitions, expanding its platform to enable the modern, mobile workforce to conduct business anywhere, anytime. The latest acquisition occurred in 2015 when the company welcomed Fuze, adding cloud-based video conferencing and web collaboration tools. With the acquisition of Fuze, the company’s unified communications solutions empower more users every day to embrace the benefits that mobile, secure communications can provide in an evolving workplace.

Steve started Fuze with a mission to disrupt workplace communications with a software solution. Seeing where the industry was heading before others and realizing the opportunity to build technology to keep up with evolving user preferences, Fuze – with Kokinos at the helm – chose to focus on quality software, rather than cumbersome and expensive hardware, that could deliver a great experience to end users wherever and whenever they wanted.

“When I co-founded Fuze, we built a foundation that rewards personal drive and passion for innovation,” said Kokinos. “Together, the Fuze team shares a contagious enthusiasm for disruptive technologies, respecting individualism that empowers Fuzers to make their mark at a feverishly growing company. I am honored and humbled by EY’s recognition and share it with the extended Fuze family.”

Sponsors

Founded and produced by EY, Entrepreneur Of The Year is nationally sponsored nationally by SAP America, Merrill Corporation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In New England, sponsors also include Fama PR, Goodwin Procter, Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Nixon Peabody LLP, and The True Capital. Other sponsors include Chatham Financial, Empire Valuation Consultants, Morgan Lewis, and T3 Advisors.

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries.

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